Why Are You Here?
When the kids were in middle school, my wife and I would go out, almost on a weekly basis, and visit wineries in the area. Virginia is #blessed with some great wine and we found some favorite spots that we still visit as well as a few that we haven’t been back to.
It’s been about 10 years since we started going and the experience is still the same just about everywhere you go. You walk in for a tasting, the pourer gives you a 1-3 minute rundown on the winery - how long it’s been there, what kinds of grapes they grow, how they oak their chards, etc and then you start tasting.
I read a blog post the other day that cited statistics that winery foot traffic in VA is down, while brewery traffic is up. One of the suggestions this oenophile blogger had is that wineries should ENGAGE more with their customers when they walk in.
How many people really care how many acres you have? Or that the rain in 2018 made for a poor harvest, but things are looking great for 2019?
Yes, some do. And they will tell you what they are interested in if you ask them. Do you tend to like reds or whites more? Dry or sweet? What varieties? Then tailor their tasting experience around that conversation instead of a pre-set template.
Consider the same approach for new donors.
Are you sending a welcome packet out to new donors? Maybe even a (somewhat) personalized email with links to your website?
Could be that you’d be better served by calling them, thanking them for their gift, then asking them why they gave. Dig into what prompted it and find out what resources you have to share with them that they would find interesting.
Did they donate because you served a family member? Or was it because a friend told them about your work in their neighborhood? Was it a peer-to-peer gift? Perhaps they used your services years ago and are trying to pay it forward.
Lots of different options and if you call and dig a little you might also find that they could be interested in Volunteering with you. Or talking with their company about sponsoring your event. Or eventually serving on your board.
Any number of exciting opportunities can present themselves if you put in a little legwork.
Quick wine story. We went to Barboursville Vineyards (their wine was served at the Royal Wedding Reception here in the States) a year-ish after we got back from a trip to Italy. Two of their reds really reminded me of our trip and I shared that with our Pourer. She took interest that, sharing with me what part of Italy their winemaker is from and talking about those styles while also giving me extra tastings, at no charge.
Guess who bought a case that day?
Take the time to genuinely show interest in your donors, try to figure out why they donated, what is interesting them in what you are doing and there’s a pretty good chance you will be rewarded.
